The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1887-01-27
Sunday-Schooi Lessons.
SONS OF GOD.
Che Significance Of Their Calling: A Pray
erful Desire to BE Like Their Father,
Rather Than to Inherit His Glory.


The central fact of this universe is
love. The pursuit of central princi-
pie in nature long exercised the astrO-
nomers. 1t played hide-and-seek with
them good while. Galileo thought
he had discovered it, but he was only
in the outer vestibule. Then Kepler
by his laws drew little nearer. But
he also was talking about results. The
principle back of the results he had
not reached. Then came Newton and
he announced the guiding law which
not only holds with all present astrono-
mical facts, but will hold to the end of
all Investigations. So, in our theology.
we have been feeling after central
thoughts and governing principles and
announcing them from time to time
only to discover that there was mani
testify something back of the last con-
clusion. 1t was hard for the world to
believe that SO simple principle as
that of universal gravitation could ex-
plain all movements. 1t is hard for
the theological world to believe that
love binds Gods universe into har-
nlony. 1t isifficult to understand that
love as applied to the human family.
That God loves us, the Bible assures
us over and over. Why He should love
us remains mystery-a mystery all the
same after we have been told that the
love is outside of and antedates our
character. He does not love us for
what we are or may become. The love
is from everlasting, and is the logical
antecedent Of all character and all SER
vice. "When we were yet enemies
He loved us.
Here is the difficulty that makes this
world SO slow to accept Gods love.
We are familiar with the relation of
fatherhood and sonship along the lines
of nearness or similarity. The son is
not far from the father. He evidently
belongs to him-form and feature-ca-
pacity and character all declare it..
Even where differences of character
have come in to break the force Of the
relation, the law of heredity yet re-
mains and we can trace the one in the
other. And when child claims high
parentage and there is not some mani
fest likeness we become skeptical of the
claim.
No wonder the world regards the be-
LEVERS claim with some doubt. 1t
seems to be full of audacity. Suppose
the angels to be ignorant of redemp-
ton. Suppose penitent from low
place on earth should appear in their
company and claim to be son of God,
with what amazement would such a
claim be regarded! We who never
sinned, dare not use such name And
if they should demand an explanation
it would be in the love of God! We
make mistake when we try to explain
adoption into Gods family by saying:
A King can adopt whom he will; when
we make it to consist merely in an act
Of sovereign grace. 1t is such an act,
indeed, but that is not the ultimate OF
it. There is reason for it. What il
that reason?
In this world the reason usually is
something in the condition of those who
adopt child. Perhaps death has taken
a child away. The vacant place needs
to be filled. The stricken parent says
"This house is lonely. Let us adopt a
child. When we come to know it wa
will love it. Some of that love we Law.
ished on our darling in Heaven we will
share with this new object of our care. y
So human families adopt children from
some need in their hearts, or some
purely bsnevolent feeling, in the hope
that their care will at last flower into
love. 1t is adoption first. 1t may bt
love afterward. hi1
We sometimes put Gods adopting
grace ON the same level. We say GOD
pities us, and takes US in out of our sir
and misery, because Christ died; HI
loves us now for Christ's sake, and BY
and by He will love MS for our own
But we dishonor Gods fatherhood wher
we speak thus. He does not love vi
because Christ died. Christ died be
cause He loves us; and loved us from
Of old. He did not send Christ int.
the world to make us better that H,
might love us. But He sent Christ I.
call us home because He loves W
Thus all our human ideas Of adoption
fail when we speak Of Gods adopting